For the Cruz campaign, the race for delegates and momentum comes down to Indiana which promises to be one of the most crucial states in denying frontrunner Donald Trump the nomination. Cruz has pinned his campaign’s hopes on the Hoosier State where he was initially leading.
For Cruz, victory is a near-necessity. Indiana and its fifty-seven delegates, the top prize in May for Republicans, are awarded winner-take-all which would be a big boost for either Cruz or Trump. The fifty-seven delegates is roughly one-fifth of the total delegates that Trump needs remaining in order to win the nomination, based off some unofficial estimates.
Cruz’s campaign has been pulling out all the stops in an attempt to win Indiana. First, the campaign announced a partnership with the Kasich campaign for the Kasich campaign to give up Indiana in exchange for the Cruz campaign giving up Oregon and New Mexico. At the time, Cruz was running either ahead or tied in Indiana, while current polling shows him double digits behind. Following that announcement, the Cruz campaign followed up by naming Carly Fiorina as Cruz’s running mate. A move that has little actual significance in the short team besides giving the campaign a burst of energy and fundraising.
Cruz himself has raised the importance of Indiana, although that is partly due to his stump rhetoric. Cruz himself has said that Indiana is crucial for defeating Trump. He has barnstormed the state and won the endorsement of Governor Mike Pence.
Indiana is crucial because it is a bright spot for Cruz in a list of states that is increasingly dwindling. Only nine states will be left to vote after Indiana and Cruz, due to his deal with Kasich, has surrendered in two of them. Only one state after Indiana– California– has a higher amount of delegates up for grabs. California has 172 delegates that will be awarded statewide, but mostly winner-take-all by congressional. Polls show Trump leading by double-digits in California.